Evaluation of Veterans MOVE! Program for Weight Loss.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the degree of weight loss in subjects enrolled in the Veterans Affairs weight management program (MOVE!). DESIGN: Retrospective cohort design. SETTING: Tertiary care US veterans hospital, July, 2007 to September, 2008, using a retrospective database. PARTICIPANTS: Adult veterans (n = 1,659), mostly men (85%). INTERVENTION: Encounters with existing nutrition education classes were collected and outcomes were assessed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome was weight change; the predictor was visits or encounters. ANALYSIS: One-way ANOVA. RESULTS: In this sample, ≥ 3 nutrition education encounters were associated with significantly more body weight loss compared with 1-2 encounters or no education (-1.62%, 0.2%, and -0.23%, respectively; P = .01). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Three or more nutrition education encounters within the MOVE! weight management program at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center are associated with modest weight loss. Future prospective studies are needed to determine causality and confirm these findings.

Evaluation of US Veterans Nutrition Education for Diabetes Prevention.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the effectiveness of nutrition education interventions for diabetes prevention. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort design. SETTING: Tertiary-care US Veterans' Hospital, July 2007 to July 2012, using pre-existing database. PARTICIPANTS: Prediabetic, adult veterans (n = 372), mostly men (94.4%, n = 351). INTERVENTIONS: Visits with existing nutrition education classes were collected. PRIMARY OUTCOME: diabetes status; predictors: visits/encounters, age, body mass index, weight change, and hemoglobin A1c. ANALYSIS: Cox proportional hazards method, χ(2) test, and logistic regression. RESULTS: In this sample, prediabetic veterans who received nutrition education were less likely to develop diabetes when compared with prediabetic veterans who did not receive nutrition education (hazard ratio, 0.71; 95% confidence interval, 0.55-0.92; P < .01). This difference remained significant after adjusting for body mass index and weight change. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Nutrition education was significantly associated with preventing the progression from prediabetes to diabetes in US Veterans participating in a nutrition education intervention at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center.